A Dragon’s Promise
by KibaSin
Summary: When an ancient spell begins to crack, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame’s past comes back to haunt Hiei in more ways than one. Implied future Hiei x Kagome.
1. Chapter One

_**A Dragon's Promise**_

**By:** _Kiba/KibaSin_

_**Summary:** When an ancient spell begins to crack, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame's past comes back to haunt Hiei in more ways than one._

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. They belong to Takahashi Rumiko-sama and Yoshihiro Togashi-sama._

_**Rating:** T_

_**Genre:** General_

* * *

The wind picked up forcefully, whipping the thick, black strands of hair into the air. Yet, the woman refused to be moved, while her hand clenched around the small, round object shining between her fingertips. Her feet dug deep into the soil, defying the increasing wind, even when it caught a hold of her clothing and whipped it around her flesh.

Anchoring herself firmly, the woman closed her eyes and unleashed her energy. It instantly bathed the land in a light blue hue, while burrowing its way deep into the confines of the Earth. And then, settled, it pulsed. Her energy called out again, pulsing, and it was not long before a deafening roar answered the call.

Black fire spewed from the ground, rising upward. It flickered in the woman's determined blue eyes, making them appear darker, as a creature began to form within the black flames. The creature roared only once, forcing the swollen clouds above them to release the rain they held in thick droplets, before it settled its flaming red eyes upon the woman.

Raising her hand, the woman allowed the pink light shining from the object there to caress the creature's black hide. Then, her voice low and demanding, she called, "I have accepted your terms. The Shikon no Tama is yours."

Through the darkness and the rain, the creature's red eyes brightened considerably. It roared again, immediately lifting itself from the ground and flying at the woman with increasing speed. Within a flash, the Shikon lay cradled in its claw, while the drenched woman crumbled to the ground. Yet the creature did not leave her there, as it gripped her clothing and lifted her into the sky, seeking out a suitable place to fulfill its end of the bargain.

The Shikon no Tama, shining brightly within flight, sank slowly into the creature's hide. And despite the evil nature that radiated from within the creature, the purity locked deep within the little jewel latched itself onto the creature and fueled it with its power. It became a part of the creature, changing it, as the beast sought out the perfect place to leave the jewel's pervious guardian.

_**Chapter**_ _**One**_

"Tell us why we're here, damn it," Yusuke growled.

Koenma shot him a dark look, while he continued to shuffle through the thick load of files upon his desk. He grumbled a little afterward, cursing the ungrateful boy, though he knew it was not Yusuke's fault that his desk had become a disaster zone.

Kurama coughed behind his hand, smiling a little. "While I would not have asked so harshly, I believe we would all like to know why we have been summoned, Koenma," he said.

Nodding, Kuwabara agreed, "Yeah."

"Yes, well," Koenma huffed, "when I find—" he paused, "—Oh, here it is!"

"About damn time," Yusuke muttered in annoyance.

Glaring at Yusuke once more, Koenma roughly turned on the screen at their left. "If you'll all direct your attention to the screen," he hissed. "Now—"

"What the fuck?" Yusuke exclaimed. He had to squint his eyes a little to make sure he was actually seeing what he thought he saw, before he blinked in surprise. "Is that a woman?"

The group blinked in surprise, even Hiei, who leaned a little further into the wall against his back.

"Yes," Koenma sighed. He was _never_ going to get any work done today. "This is a videotape taken in an isolated part of the Makai. The land there is said to be sacred and demons tend to avoid it as much as they can, however, it has recently been brought to my attention that this woman, clearly trapped in a crystal formation as you can see, is located in the center of the area. The fact that she is trapped there did not concern me all that much—"

"_What!?_" Kuwabara snapped. "How can you not—"

"—_or_, at least it didn't, _until_," Koenma continued, "I managed to find out who the woman was exactly."

"And who is she exactly?" Kurama asked.

"Her name is Higurashi Kagome," Koenma sighed. "Her purpose in life was to destroy an evil half-demon named Naraku, while collecting the shards of a jewel she managed to break five hundred years ago."

Kurama's eyes flashed gold, as Youko rose to the surface. "A broken jewel? You would not happen to be speaking of the Shikon no Tama, would you, Koenma?"

Curiously, Hiei felt the dragon wriggle a bit beneath the wards he had placed upon it. He glanced down at the arm, subconsciously flexing his fingers, while the creature tried to burn its way through the thick wards. However, he was quick to suppress it, allowing the Jagan to slip open a crack to bring it back under his control.

"I would," Koenma replied.

"Odd," Kurama muttered. "I had heard that it disappeared."

"It did," Koenma told them. "However, because Kagome's incarnation, a miko by the name of Kikyo, had ordered the jewel to be burned with her body, the Shikon no Tama attached itself to the girl's soul. As a result, when she was finally reincarnated, the jewel formed inside her body over the course of fifteen years. And on her fifteen birthday, the devious little thing reactivated the magic inside a well on the girl's shrine and drug her five hundred years into the past."

Sighing, Kurama said, "If you had listened to my pervious statement, Koenma, you would know that I already knew the jewel reappeared the first time. I was speaking of the second, after the battle with Naraku."

"O-oh," Koenma grinned nervously. "Of course."

"Well?" Kurama pressed.

Yusuke snickered silently to himself. It was great to finally see the toddler squirm.

"Unfortunately, the girl somehow managed to slip by us after the battle with Naraku," Koenma sighed. "She just disappeared completely one week after it occurred, taking the completed Shikon no Tama with her."

"But," Kuwabara asked, "how did she end up there?"

"I don't know," Koenma shook his head.

The dragon began to wriggle again. Hiei quickly, once again, suppressed it. The fact that the beast was becoming excited made him curious, but nothing good would ever come from the dragon's release. So, he pressed it down, positive that the dragon would not slip through the wards _and_ the Jagan's hold.

Before Koenma could speak again, Yusuke cut in, saying, "Let me guess, you want us to break her out of there?"

Glaring at the teen, Koenma growled, "Yes and no."

"Yes and no?" Yusuke blinked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you want us to break her out of there or not?"

"If you had been paying any attention _at all_," Koenma huffed, "you'd know that this is a _videotape_ taken within the area. I have not played it yet, Yusuke, which is the reason for my answer."

"Well, then play the damn tape already so we can get out of here," Yusuke replied.

Shaking his head at the disrespect Yusuke continued to use, Koenma allowed his finger to press the button that activated the videotape. It took a moment, but the screen slowly began to play, frame by frame, as the trapped woman continued to sleep peacefully within her tomb.

"Is something _supposed_ to happen?" Kuwabara asked.

"Just wait a moment," Koenma said. "Just watch."

Suddenly, as a deafening crack flitted into the room, the side of the woman's tomb split a part. A large chunk of the crystal formation fell to the ground with a thump, before it dissolved away in a matter of seconds.

"Did that just—?"

"Yes it did, Kuwabara," Kurama nodded in surprise. He had expected a demon to come forth from the background, somehow steal the woman, and laugh in the face of the Gods. He had lightly expected a demon to come sensing the Shikon no Tama, for surely the woman still had it, before trying to tear into the crystal formation with no luck. But, the last thing he expected was for the crystal to break suddenly and without warning, especially when there was nothing around the woman that might have caused such a thing.

The tape played on, another loud crack filling the room when another piece of crystal fell from the woman's side. And it became quite obvious that her hand was nearly free, and depending on when the video was taken, might already be.

"You see," Koenma said, "the crystal formation she is trapped within is beginning to dissolve away for some strange reason. My father and I are not certain if it is because of Kagome or some outside force at this moment, but we do know that it will be disastrous if the crystal dissolves completely and she somehow manages to awaken. And even if she doesn't, there is a good chance that the missing Shikon no Tama is on her person, and demons are going to flock there in order to obtain it—"

The dragon wriggled, twisting, and Hiei began aware of the small amount of black fire rising up and away from the edges of the wards he had placed upon the beast. He nearly growled, placing his other hand upon the fabric, while the dragon became increasingly defiant.

Kurama glanced in his direction, eyes narrowing. _Hiei?_ he called.

_**It's nothing**_, the hybrid replied. Quickly, he cut off the link and shut out the curious fox. After all, the dragon was under his control now, and it would listen to his command. It would calm itself once it realized it could not escape his hold, and then there would be no problem.

"—So, I'm sending you four out in order to retrieve Higurashi Kagome, or at least the body if she does not awaken," Koenma finished. "We cannot allow the Shikon to fall in the wrong hands, no matter what."

Surprisingly, Hiei felt the dragon hiss in amusement, the hair on his arm rising, before it became still.

"What are we wa—?" Yusuke began.

"_However_," Koenma coughed, "it is going to take us at least three hours to obtain a fixed lock on the area in order to send you there. The energy that Kagome emits, which I now believe is the reason demons tend to shy away from the area, hides her location and makes it nearly impossible to create a portal anywhere near the place."

Yusuke bristled, shouting, "_What!?_ You drug us all the way here to tell us all this shit, only to make us wait three hours in order to actually leave?! Why the hell didn't you just call us three hours from _now_?!"

"I wouldn't have enough time to explain!" Koenma snapped. "Kagome's holy energy would have destroyed the lock and you would have had to wait anyway! And, not only that, Yusuke, but I don't think you _want_ to go prancing around the Makai in the middle of the night!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yusuke yelled.

"It means that you might get yourself killed, _again_!" Koenma roared. The boy was walking toward him, his voice increasing in volume, so he quickly rose up in his chair and placed his hands onto his desk to lean forward. There was _no way_ Urameshi Yusuke was going to push him around, not today!

"_Toddler—_!"

Closing his eyes, Kurama sighed. Then, turning his attention to his old friend, he asked, "Would you like to retreat to one of the rooms available in order to rest, Hiei?"

Recognizing the golden flash in the fox's eyes, Hiei growled, "You go to your room, fox. If I feel the need to rest, I will, and you will do well to keep your hands away from my person."

'_Prude little bastard,_' Youko scoffed.

"Forgive me for having asked my question in such a way," Kurama chuckled. "Youko has been rather restless lately."

'_Damn right I have,_' Youko growled. '_Something is going to happen, I can feel it in my bones._'

_**You don't have any**_, Hiei reminded him.

'_It's a figure of speech!_' Youko hissed, clearly not in the mood.

Turning his attention away from the spirit locked inside his conscious, Kurama looked toward their other companion. "How about you, Kuwabara?" he asked.

"Sure," Kuwabara nodded. "I need the sleep, anyway, with how much Shizuru's been pushin' me around."

"Well then, we're off," Kurama said. "We'll see you later, Hiei."

"Hn," the hybrid shrugged. He had no need for sleep at the moment, and it would have been pointless to try and force himself into such a vulnerable state while in the Reikai. Besides, as he glanced down at his arm, he had much better ways to pass the time.

* * *

**_KibaSin:_** Admittedly, I should be writing more for "More Than Anything", "Breeding School", and the last chapter of "The Shift of Time". But, I ended up with a craving for HeKa (Hiei x Kagome) and had to write something (since I'm procrasinating my contest piece for the Deadliest Sin Board, _again_)_. _Oh, and I should be working secretively on that novel I plan to write, and all those other pieces of fanfiction that I've planned out but have not gotten around to because school is so hectic. _Ugh_.

Besides, this is only...three chapters long, if I'm not mistaken. (Time to look at my notes!)

_Kiba_


	2. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two**_

The Jagan open, the dark section of his mind that the dragon resided in opened up to him with ease. Thin tendrils of smoke rose up from the ground with each step he took, but he took no notice as it swirled around his feet and caressed him. This was his mind, and despite the dragon's influence, it would _always_ be his mind.

Stepping beyond what appeared to be a fiery threshold, Hiei felt a thick mass of energy assault him. He did not pause, though, knowing that the dragon recognized him immediately, and continued until he stood before a dark, smoke-covered altar. Then, waving his hand, he watched as the intricate design of the dragon became clear to his eyes.

"That girl—" the dragon design pulsed in recognition, "—she excited you. _Why?_"

The intricate designed barely rippled, as it shifted along the stone.

Thoroughly annoyed with the beast, Hiei allowed the Jagan to flare. The design rippled again, as he snapped, "Answer me, beast."

After a moment, with the Jagan's threat still in place, a chilling voice echoed into the room. 'If that is what you desire, Master,' it called, as the smoke surrounding the altar began to rise. The intricate dragon design could be seen swimming within the vortex, but as quickly as it formed, it dissipated, and a lone figure was left sitting patiently upon the cold, dark stone.

Gazing upon the womanly form indifferently, Hiei's eyes narrowed in thought. The dragon always chose to take the same form within his mind, and though he had always believed it had to do with his conscious desires, he now realized that that was not the case. The woman sitting before him was taller, certainly, with hair that hit the floor and gleaming red eyes, but otherwise she _was_ the trapped miko in all her naked glory.

It was obviously not a coincidence.

Though the woman's mouth never opened, the dragon's voice echoed into the room once more. 'Tell me, Master, what is it you wish of me?'

"The girl," he quickly reminded the beast. It was _odd_, he realized, now that he recognized the dragon's chosen form as the miko that Koenma was so concerned over awakening in the Makai. In fact, he was not entirely sure _how_ he knew it was the woman, since he had not gotten a very good look at her, but he _knew_. The form could belong to no one else.

The woman's flaming eyes narrowed, as the dragon's voice hissed, 'You are _very_ arrogant, Master, to believe that only _you_ have successfully called upon me, known my strength, and tried to use my power for your own purposes.'

Instantly, Hiei scoffed, "That _human woman_ summoned you and _survived_?"

Black fire erupted around the dragon's human form, licking throughout the mass of hair cascading toward the ground and caressing the soft, pale skin that seemed so easy to break. 'You may have chained me, _Master_, but that does not mean I have not been touched by those who lived before your time,' the dragon replied, hissing.

The hybrid took a single step forward, the Jagan flashing malevolently underneath his control. "What is this?" he sneered. "The mighty Dragon of the Darkness Flame loyal to a _human woman_ of all things?"

The beast did not reply. It did not need to, for Hiei knew that the dragon was loyal to no one but itself. It was a ruthless killer, much like himself, that fed from the foolish souls that it devoured whenever possible. It needed no one, and would have preferred to remain in solitude than be bound to the mortal plane.

Dropping the subject, Hiei quickly returned to the question that the dragon had avoided. "The girl must have offered you something," he stated. "What did she give you in exchange for her life?"

With a coy smile, the beast said, 'Perhaps she did, perhaps she did not. What does it matter?'

"You're not answering the question," Hiei hissed back. The Jagan immediately ensnared the beast, causing the dragon's womanly form to open her mouth and release a deadly hiss. Clearly, he had the dragon's attention.

'_No_,' the chilling voice replied. 'You're simply not asking the right one.'

The Jagan pulsed in glee.

'_Why_ should I tell you anything about this girl?!' the dragon snarled dangerously. '_Why_ should I explain the reason I let her live? _Why_, Master, when you can easily find out in the near future?'

"And _who_ will give me this information?" Hiei snarled back, "_Koenma?_"

'Koenma is a _fool_,' the beast snapped.

"Then _who_?" Hiei demanded, taking another step toward the woman upon the altar. The black fire did not scare him, it did not even burn him, as he grasped onto her slender arm and yanked her down to his eye level. "_Who?_"

'The girl.' Long, black fangs revealed themselves as the woman pulled back her lips and snarled in his face. The dragon knew it could not use them on the demon that it was chained to, but _oh_, how it longed to.

Again, Hiei scoffed, shoving the woman away from him. "There is a very high chance that she will not even awaken once her tomb is destroyed. Her soul might have survived the prolonged sleep, but her body is only human."

'_You_ are the fool if you believe that, Master.'

Watching the woman shift upon the altar before him, Hiei's mind quickly pulled a part the dragon's sentence and deciphered it. "_You_," he said very slowly, finding it hard to believe as he came to his final conclusion. "You know how she managed to seal herself in such a way, don't you?"

The woman's red eyes glittered with delight.

"You know because you helped put her there, _didn't_ you?"

'The well was open—'

It took Hiei a moment to realize the beast was speaking about the gateway that the miko used to jump through time.

'—yet, she could not bring herself to go home,' the dragon muttered softly. 'She had been broken, as she watched her heart tear itself a part with the death of her closest companion. But, like most that have tasted power, she could not accept his death. She could not let him go, because her broken heart refused to believe that the one she loved so much could possibly be gone forever.

'Some,' the dragon continued after a pause, 'called her insane, as she chose to argue with her companion's elder brother. For you see, he held the gift of life in his hand and could easily strike life back into the dead when compassion filled his heart. _But_, she argued nonetheless, even when he tried desperately to tell her that her companion's soul was gone. And, oh, how he tried, but she could not be appeased as he explained that her companion's soul had been torn a part by the very jewel she was meant to protect.'

The woman upon the altar raised one hand into the air, swirling the smoke that had settled in the air. 'Despite the pleas of her living companions, she held onto the hope that she could revive him somehow. So, in secret, she searched for any trace of him, using the Shikon no Tama as her guide, and soon found that a fraction of her lost companion's soul had survived the brutal torture it had been put through. It had changed, grew in an attempt to heal itself, but she knew the feel of her companion's soul and delighted in the thought that he might live again.'

Hiei listened, watching the dragon's womanly form closely. Deep in his mind, a part of him could almost _see_ the events that the beast spoke of, and it troubled him. He did not care about the trapped miko's plight, her pain, yet he could clearly see a pair of stunning blue eyes flash behind his eyes. And, he knew, it was the insanity he could see leaking into the corner of those eyes that truly troubled him.

'_But_, her happiness died quickly.' Once more, the dragon paused. 'Despite the blind devotion that she felt for her companion, she realized that she could not use the Shikon no Tama to resurrect him as she had originally hoped. That would certainly taint it, throw the world back into chaos, and there would be nothing to stop the mass destruction that would occur. Her soul could not do such a thing, even blinded by devotion and insanity, and she spent days afterward despairing for the loss of her closest companion.

'Then, after what seemed like an eternity for her, her broken soul came to a stunning realization. She would not wish on the Shikon no Tama, _but_ she could easily use it to bargain with a higher power in order to find the one that would one day be born with her lost companion's shattered soul.'

"_Reincarnation?_" Hiei scoffed. The woman had to have been insane, believing that the person she sought would be the same as the one she remembered. Especially when it was only a fraction of his original soul.

Smoke billowed from the corner of the woman's mouth, as she smiled slightly. 'Indeed,' the dragon replied. 'She was so far gone that she did not care if his soul was the same or not. She merely wanted to love it, to cherish it, and continue to show it that she was best suited to stand beside it.'

Hiei decided it was time to change the subject. Such blind devotion was ridiculous, and it almost made him ill to think about the miko giving such to a dead man. Those beautiful blue eyes in his mind looked insane because of such devotion, and truly, that alone solidified his opinion. The miko had been utterly stupid to give out such loyalty.

The dragon waited patiently, as it always did.

"How do you know all of this?" he finally asked. And, almost immediately, Hiei realized that it was the wrong question to ask.

'How does anyone know anything, Master?' the dragon mocked.

"How are _you_ connected to that girl?" Hiei scowled. He had not forgotten his earlier question, knowing that the dragon had been summoned by the miko at some time, and he wanted his answer now. Though, he had a feeling he _knew_ why the dragon allowed the miko to live.

The dragon's womanly form finally stopped playing with the smoke billowing from the corner of her mouth, and shifted herself so she was playing with a thin chain around her neck instead. A tiny, pink jewel hung from the end, swinging with each roll of her fingers. Her fiery eyes focused on the hybrid, noticing the way his eyes were drawn to the little jewel, and a giggle filled the silence.

"The Shikon no Tama," Hiei stated. He recognized the pull easily enough, even when he had only heard stories of the legendary jewel. And, as his mind shifted through the dragon's story, the entire situation fell easily into place. "That is the reason you allowed her to live, because she gave you the Shikon no Tama in exchange for sealing her away."

'I was not always this powerful, Master,' the dragon sneered. 'And, like mortals, even I can be tempted with that which seems beyond my reach.'

"_But_, that still does not explain why she is reawakening. Did her companion's soul return, or did your seal merely not hold up—?" he went to continue, when the dragon hissed darkly.

'Perhaps her companion's soul did return, perhaps it did not. What does it matter to you, Master?' the dragon asked.

"Your right," Hiei smirked. "Why should it matter to me whether the soul has been reincarnated or your spell is breaking due to a flaw?"

The woman upon the altar watched, her gleaming red eyes mere slits, as the hybrid turned on his heel and finally walked away. It surprised her that he did not push the matter, since he usually wished to know every last detail, but she would not give up her good fortune.

Soon, he would understand. And then, the dragon's debt would be paid.

* * *

**_KibaSin:_** I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter -- but, the next chapter is the last, and I plan to work harder on it.

_Kiba_


End file.
